Prepare yourselves, folks, for a very picture-heavy post. (This is what happens when I am fairly conscientious about taking pictures, but less conscientious about regularly writing blog posts.) Things are fine here. We have started our Christmas shopping, which has been made a bit hilarious this year due to the fact that our primary obsession while shopping is now "how small is it???". We have a small box set aside to ship home and are trying really hard not to have to use a second or a bigger one, since the shipping costs are kind of ridiculous. So our main objective in buying presents is now: Must Be Small, Or Easily Squishable. (Family members: prepare yourselves accordingly.) Anyway. The holiday decorations are starting to go up around town--lights strung across the streets, shop windows, etc. etc. Normally I am not particularly a Christmas person, but this year I am feeling strangely into it all and even (dare I say it) mildly festive. I am not sure if this is due to having Emrys here this year (not that he will really notice anything, but still) or maybe because we are in a different city. One thing I am really excited about is the lighting of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. This happens on December 2nd. Here is the story, and it is a gooder: ever since WWII, the Norwegians have sent Britain an annual Christmas tree to put up in Trafalgar Square, as a gesture of thanks for Britain's help in the war. These trees are about 60 feet high and 50-60 years old. So it is put up and decorated and then they make a big deal of turning on the lights and lots of people come to see. Here's a picture of it from another year:

Anyway, on to the pictures! Here is Em, chilling with Dad at the computer. (The onesie he is wearing here is a freak of nature, I tell you. I first put it on him when he was probably two weeks old, and he has been wearing it EVER SINCE. Just to make sure you understand: it has basically fit him for over four months and through nine pounds of growth.)

Hugging Dad! (I highly doubt he was consciously doing so. Still, I work with what I can get.)

Trying to eat his toy.
This is how he likes to sleep now: sprawled out, and on his side. Or on his stomach. (Preferably with a blanket wrapped around his head, which I find unnerving and attempt to discourage.)
Haha I LOVE this one, his expression is so funny. The stuffed animal beside him is Muk Muk, one of the mascots from the Vancouver Olympics. Trav bought it while I was still pregnant, so determined was he that the baby would love Muk Muk and that it would become his favorite toy. Most of the time Em is quite indifferent to it, but...
...success! He is playing with Muk Muk. Well, mostly he is drooling all over him.
This is Trav's new favorite picture: Emrys fascinated by a gadget! The education of techie-baby begins.
Sleeping again.
Last Sunday we went on a walking tour for a couple of hours. It was organized through the hall where we live and called the Harry Potter Walk, which basically meant that it took you round to some places in the city where they filmed the movies, etc. That was cool since we are both big fans, but we also saw lots of things that were interesting in their own right. The area we covered was all within the area called The City, the part of London originally settled by the Romans and where the Bank of England and alot of other business buildings are now. The only downside was that it was super cold that day and windy, and bud got a bit cranky at times. But overall still a fun day.

This is Trav and Em ready to set off on the walk.

This is just called Christopher Wren's Monument, I think. Wren designed it in 1666 as a monument to the Great Fire of London, which had happened the year before and which burnt out huge, huge portions of the city. (I don't know alot about the Great Fire, but it seems super interesting and I'd like to read more about it.)

The entrance to a huge covered market called Leadenhall Market. It was closed when we were there but we are definitely going to go back sometime.

Me on London Bridge, looking east down the Thames. That is Tower Bridge in the background, so just on the left side of it is where the Tower of London is.
A close-up on Tower Bridge; the ship in the foreground is a floating museum. Haven't been to it yet though.

Home from the walk!

I guess that's about all my news for now! xo Becky